Photographer's Note

The famous market is opened on Mondays in front of the Great Mosque of Djenné.
Ethnic clothes of the ladies preparing their shop attracted immediately me. strong color makes them stand out more.

The Great Mosque of Djenné is the largest mud brick building in the world, along with the "Old Towns of Djenné" it has been designated a World Heritage Site.
Djenné is situated 398 km north-east of Bamako, Mali.

PP: i tried to reproduce the scorching light of the sun in Africa, also create a taste of film with using DxO Optics Pro 6 and Photoshop CS2.

Hello Hisashi,
you capture a very beautiful scene of the ladies.Indeed they have a very colorful and strong colors of dresses. This is good pov, colors,great sharpness,exposure, framed, clarity of details. Perfect shot.
All the best,
Barbara

Hi Hisashi. Ever since i discovered the sound of the kora and its greatest exponent Toumani Diabate, I have been dreaming of visiting Mali. And of course the women with their colourful headdress are quite stunning. Wonderful light and a clever POV showing everyday life in the towering presence of the mosque. Regards. Klaudio.(All the best for 2011.)

Hi Hisashi
Very impressive close image, u have used colors as strong element to attract eye into this scene successfully. The colorful figs are perfectly placed and those nicely laid sacks are very good complementary subject to give an extra kick and interest in the frame. The mosque in the backdrop provides an interesting mid ground subject and good balance. Superb rich color and very good contrats. Gorgeous shot.
Best rgds

Very fine Hisashi!
This place offers a lot of interesting chances for the photographer. I like the scene you have chosen and the way you have framed.
I can see from your photos that you don't need my advices for sharpening, they are already perfectly sharpened!
Consider that the impression of sharpness in a photo depends also from the kind of light you find... (apart from the quality of the lenses and aperture).

Hi Hiisashi,what a impressive light balance,this is a top class pic,very difficult in a very hard light! And a beautiful and colorfull composition too! Very well done,i wish to be there me too! Luciano

Hello Hisashi,
What a splendid image whith a very interesting subject!
The scene is well composed, the colors are fantastic and perfectly saturated, the quality is really excellent. Congratulations and TFS.
Best regards
Giorgio

I knew this photo was yours even before I enlarged it. It is a superior image, the quality is just superb. I love the low Point of View, the trademark sharpness, wonderful cromatic rendering and of course the perspective. The clouds are also a sensational addition to the photo. Great job, congratulations and I wish you a 2011 just as beautiful.

The colors are really gorgeous!
The mosque is typical of this part of Africa and your picture has a double interest: it shows us the mosque and the daily life around.
Maybe you could have try to do two or three steps behind to avoid cropping the lady's leg.

This is real a specially construction style of the mosque in background.
Nice daily life picture with the women in foreground.
We get here a very nice image, good perspective and depth image, gives always a nice composition.
Very well done, TFS.

hi Hisashi
this is a fantastic cultural photo.
i'm really impressed with the lighting, i know for a fact i would have overexposed this way too much...i dont like to shoot in such harsh lighting..but you managed it very well.
the person to the right is posing very nicely, and the mud brick building is also an eye catcher.
well done
craig

Hello Hisashi,
I was here 29 years ago and it seems that actually not much has happened since then. Tecnically this is as perfect as ever and the light has been excellently handled. I also enjoy that you put the ladies and their sacks in the foreground and let the marvellous mosque just for once play the second fiddle.
Kind regards,
Gert

Hi Hisashi, I'm envious - this is a place I'd love to visit. And you did well composing this shot, inclusion of the FG elements giving us a tast of the life as well as the architecture. Skin tones are surprisingly good given the light in the rest of the image. nice work indeed. cheers, Steve

hi Hisashi,
fine POV outside the famous mosquee of Djenne and nice mood from this market picture.
a good composition with the traders and their goods on the bottom / the mosquee on the top.
nice light and colours as we can find in Africa.
Yannis

Hello Hisashi,
good and real life foto- as usual.Thanks for warm critique about my photo from Ethiopia. 1 birr is always good way to little support local kids and of course take a pictures.
Best regards
Tom

Hello
Amazing shot. The women of the Dogon tribe sell their treasures. They have beautiful, colorful costumes. In the background an incredible building. Is the Dogon tribe, it is designed for ages in contact with visitors from Sirius?
Yours
Joseph

Hello Hisashi,
a nice daily snapshot from this open air market in Mali.I like the variety of colours as the brilliant light of the day as enhance them.The two women add life in the scene and make it more effective.

Hi Hisachi
That is a fine street capture, with daily life foreground, messy enough to convey the atmosphere in those markets and a great mosque in the background, typical of those areas too...
Strong light and bright colours give the final touch.
Greetings
Laurent

A scene of life very well collected with an efficience and interesting composition in two plans: the coloured marcket in teh Fg nad the famous mosque in the BG. Image very rich in details very well colected. Congratulations.
Best regards,
Roger

Hi Hisashi,
great scene. The women clothed in typical clothes I guess. The structure behind is very interesting with a really unique architecture.
The frame seems full of life and color.
Very well captured,
M

Namaste Hisashi,
fabulous composition. Like the mosque at background which is unique in structure. The daily life of the market is finely captured with the presence of strong colours. Great depth excellent clarity. Very well done. Tfs.
Best wishes.
Subhendu

Hello Hisashi - I missed this incredible photograph whilst on my travels and having spotted it today have to congratulate you on it! The architecture is just amazing and something I would love to see in the "flesh". The costumes of the two women are colourful and bright against the earthy tones of the setting. Wonderful, best regards Rosemary

Hello dear Hisashi-san
The great mosque is quite familiar, but its how you 'create' this picture with the ladies in ethnic clothing...sacks of what appears to be either potatoes or onions, leading up to the grand mosque. The strong overhead sun is evidenced by the short shadows. The resultant colours thanks to the work in DxO Optics Pro 6 (I don't have any idea about this software) is really excellent. Fine work as always!
Best Regards
Angshu

Hi Hisashi,
is a fantastic composition, which is full of life and color on the foreground with the women and their colorful clothes, while in the background we can see the beautiful mud brick buildings, of the architecture of this amazing city.
The image is very sharp and colors are perfectly managed.
A good work.
Best regards,
Josep

The scene of the market with the mosque behind is great. I hope you will post the others similar from this place. It was your privilege to be there, Hisashi. Many thanks for sharing. So 100 points for this post.

Hello Hisashi
So much detail in one photo. The colourful clothes of the women, their patched sacks, the well photographed mosque, the truck and the wisp of cloud against the blue sky - all merge to make an informative composition. Tfs, Marlene

Hi Hisashi.
Tremendous composition full of beauty and originality in this little-known scenario, the original construction of the mosque is really great and those sticks and shadows add a nice graphic.
Wonderful colors in part by the spectacular costumes, a picture with all the strength to be a picture of everyday life. Well done.
Have a nice day. Best regards.
Luis.